 4X-AKC, the aircraft involved, pictured in 1950 | |
| Shootdown | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 27, 1955 |
| Summary | Shot down |
| Site | North of Petrich, Bulgaria 41°27′26″N 23°15′41″E / 41.45722°N 23.26139°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-049 Constellation |
| Operator | El Al |
| Registration | 4X-AKC |
| Flight origin | London Heathrow Airport |
| Stopover | Wien-Schwechat International Airport |
| Destination | Lod Airport |
| Passengers | 51 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 58 |
| Survivors | 0 |
El Al Flight 402 was an international passenger flight from London to Tel Aviv via Vienna and Istanbul. On 27 July 1955, the flight, operated by a Lockheed Constellation registered as 4X-AKC, strayed into then-Communist Bulgarian airspace and was attacked by two Bulgarian MiG-15 jet fighters, crashing near Petrich. All 7 crew and 51 passengers on board the airliner were killed.[1][2] The crash took place amid highly strained relations between the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc and was the deadliest involving the Constellation up to that time.
- ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
- ^ "Through the Curtain". Time. August 8, 1955. Retrieved October 15, 2020.